Virat Kohli has done exceedingly well since taking the mantle from India’s most decorated skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kohli was first handed the Test captaincy a couple of years ago, and in his very first series, he ended up India’s 22-year wait for a series win in Sri Lanka. Kohli is yet to lose a Test series as captain as the team is ruling the roost in the longest format of the game.
Earlier this year, he was handed the ODI captaincy and hit the ground running, leading the Men in Blue to series wins over England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Australia in addition to making the final of the Champion Trophy. But despite his impressive track record as captain, his predecessor Dhoni has constantly been witnessed in thick of things on the field, setting the field, altering the bowlers and taking the final on review decisions.
And while those scenes have led the fans to speculate several things, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has given an insight into why Dhoni has been so active in taking decisions on the field despite relinquishing the captaincy.
“Dhoni bhai is still our captain,” Chahal told NDTV.com. “Sometimes, when Kohli bhai fields at mid-on or long-on, then we need someone who can guide us too. It is not possible for Kohli to come up and tell what needs to be done. Then, Dhoni takes over,” he added.
“Dhoni signals Kohli to remain at his place. He says – tu wahi reh, mai dekh lunga (You stay there, I will handle),” Chahal said. “Actually, it saves time too. Dhoni has abundance of experience with him. We all are lucky that we are sharing the field with him.”
The leggie further revealed that Dhoni is very approachable and calls the youngsters ‘Chotey’. He also lauded Dhoni’s ability to read the batsmen’s mind.
“Dhoni bhai is approachable. I know he has quit captaincy but we all know he will always remain the team’s captain. He calls me Chotey,” the young leg-spinner said.
“He knows how to read a batsman’s mind. I don’t know how he does, but he manages brilliantly. He calls me and says, Chote isko bahar daal ya straight daal. I do the same and get the results. He is an amazing person,” he added.
The World Cup-winning skipper was seen advising Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav throughout the series against Australia and the youngsters reaped the rewards as they shared 13 wickets between them to help India clinch the five-match series 4-1.